ENGL 103 A24: Case Studies in Research: Masculinities

U. Umezurike

This course will help students to challenge preconceptions of gender and deepen their understanding of how men and women contest and (re)construct masculinities in society. Part of the learning activities will involve students selecting any literary or cultural texts such as a short story, a poem, a film, or a photograph to represent/interrogate dominant notions underlying masculinity. They will analyze the factors and motivation informing their choice of text or image and how we make meaning out of texts and images (cultural productions). The aim is to get them to appreciate what research entails and how they can situate themselves as researchers. Additionally, we will examine critical and cultural theories about language, representation, identity, and culture.